Israel Abanikanda

Israel "Izzy" Adewale Abanikanda (born October 5, 2002) is an American professional football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Abanikanda set the Pitt single game rushing record of 320 yards in a game against Virginia Tech in Week 6 of 2022, breaking the record of 303 yards set by Tony Dorsett in 1975. In the same game, he tied a school and ACC record of 6 rushing touchdowns in a game.

Early life Abanikanda attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York. As a senior, he was the Gatorade Football Player of the Year for New York after rushing for 1,350 yards with 20 touchdowns. As he entered his senior season of high school, Abanikanda was ranked a three star recruit and received scholarship offers from seventeen schools.

College career As a true freshman at Pittsburgh in 2020, Abanikanda played in seven games, rushing 28 times for 95 yards and one touchdown. As a sophomore in 2021, he played in all 13 games with six starts and rushed for 651 yards on 123 carries with seven touchdowns. Abanikanda also returned seven kicks for 206 yards, averaging 29.4 yards per attempt. Abanikanda returned to Pittsburgh as a starter in 2022. In Week 1 of the 2022 season, at the first Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia since 2011, Abanikanda rushed for only sixteen yards on eight carries. Following Rodney Hammond's injury at the game, Abanikanda stepped into a larger role. Against Western Michigan, Abanikanda gained 133 yards on 31 carries and was named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll.

On September 24, 2022, Abanikanda rushed nineteen times for a total of 177 yards against the Rhode Island Rams. Following the game, Abanikanda had earned a total of 479 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 83 carries for the season and was ranked second in the nation for all-purpose yards with an average of 180.24 yards.

Abanikanda finished the 2022 season with 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns. He received the second most votes for ACC Player of the Year.

New York Jets Abanikanda was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round (143rd overall) of the 2023 NFL draft. He made his NFL debut in Week 11 against the Bills. As a rookie, he appeared in six games and had 22 carries for 70 rushing yards.

On December 2, 2024, Abanikanda was waived by the Jets.

San Francisco 49ers On December 3, 2024, the San Francisco 49ers claimed Abanikanda off of waivers.

On July 24, 2025, Abanikanda was waived by the 49ers.

Green Bay Packers On July 25, 2025, Abanikanda was claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers. He was released by the Packers on August 26, as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. The Packers released Abanikanda on September 8.

Dallas Cowboys On November 30, 2025, Abanikanda was signed to the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 6, 2026.

On August 30, 2026, Abanikanda was waived by the Cowboys as part of final roster cuts and signed to the practice squad the next day.

NFL career statistics Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2023 NYJ 6 0 22 70 3.2 12 0 7 43 6.1 13 0 1 1 2024 NYJ 0 0 SF 0 0 Career 6 0 22 70 3.2 12 0 7 43 6.1 13 0 1 1